Experimental morphogenesis in adventitious buds of flax

Abstract

The polar development of adventitious buds and their associated vascular traces in flax hypocotyls has been studied, and experiments performed with the object of altering this polarity. Buds ware induced on portions of epidemal tissue grafted in inverted positions on hypocotyls, and on hypocotyls subjected to reversal of the direction of gravity and electric polarity normally acting on them. The effects of experimental incisions into adventitious meristems, and in close proximity to them, were also studied. The basic pattern of development remained constant under all treatments. These experiments show that the epidermal and cortical cells from which the adventitious buds and their dependent vascular traces develop possess a very strong inherent polarity which could not be varied by extracellular changes of field.